384 Astronomical Society. 



been sung by poets, and celebrated by the pen of the most accom- 

 plished of civilized travellers ; and the shadowy lustre of the Magel- 

 lanic clouds, has supplied imagery for the dim and doubtful mythology 

 of the most barbarous nations upon earth. But it is the task of the 

 Astronomer to open up these treasures of the southern sky, and dis- 

 play to mankind their secret and intimate relations. Apart, however, 

 from speculative considerations, a perfect knowledge of the astronomy 

 of the southern hemisphere is becoming daily an object of greater prac- 

 tical interest, now that civilization and intercourse are rapidly spread- 

 ing through those distant regions, — that our own colonies are rising 

 into importance, — and that the vast countries of South America are 

 gradually assuming a station in the list of nations, corresponding 

 with their extent and natural advantages. It is no longer possible to 

 remain content with the limited and inaccurate knowledge we have 

 hitherto possessed of southern stars, now that we have a new geo- 

 graphy to create, and latitudes and longitudes without end, to de- 

 termine by their aid. The advantages too, to be obtained, even for 

 the perfect and refined astronomy of the north, by placing nearly a 

 diameter of the globe, between the stations of observatories, and 

 taking up the objects common to both hemispheres, in a point of 

 view, and under circumstances so every way opposite to those which 

 exist here, have been strongly pointed out by a venerable and illus- 

 trious member of this Society, in an elaborate paper published in its 

 Memoirs, and would alone suffice to justify a high degree of interest, 

 as due to every well conducted series of observations from that 

 quarter. The observations of H alley at St. Helena, had made known 

 the places of a moderate number of the brighter southern stars ; but 

 the only catalogue of any extent and accuracy, which existed pre- 

 vious to the establishment of the observatories of the Cape and Pa- 

 ramatta, was that of Lacaille, who spent three years at the Cape of 

 Good Hope, and the Isles of France and Bourbon ; and, though with 

 very inadequate instrumental means, yet, by dint of the most inde- 

 fatigable industry, succeeded in observing and registering upwards 

 of 10,000 stars. But by far the greater part of these observations 

 have never been reduced; a selection only from them of 1942 of 

 the principal ones, not amounting to a fifth of their whole number, 

 having been formed into a catalogue, and published by this merito- 

 rious astronomer. It must be admitted, however, that the degree of 

 accuracy stated by Lacaille himself to have been probably attained 

 by him, is hardly such as to make us now very deeply regret their 

 want of reduction, especially as the observations themselves are 

 printed with every requisite for that purpose, when required. Still, 

 however, from his method of observing, which was with a fixed te- 

 lescope and rhomboidal network, his observations have what may be 

 termed a dormant value, as they most probably give correct differ- 

 ences for each night's work ; and when a catalogue of standard 

 southern stars shall be completed, Lacaille's observations will be- 

 come available, by regarding these as zero points, and referring all 

 the rest to them. 



Such was nearly, with little improvement, the state of the astro- 

 nomy 



